Alex Wild on insects, science, and photography
Tonight’s challenge is a series of questions about the following insect: Points will be awarded for the first correct answers to following: Is this insect an adult, or a juvenile? (1 point) What is the name of the structure with the bright yellow tips? (1 point) To what order does this insect belong? (2 points) [...]
Yesterday’s challenge was an unusual one, in that our ”What Is It?” lacks singular correct answers. Our uncertainty is paradoxical, because on one hand this thing is obviously a dipluran- a small, entognathous hexapod. The formal classification is a different matter, however, and the problem stems from two distinct types of uncertainty. First, formal studies suggest [...]
Tonight’s mystery is a classic “what is it?”, but with a philosophical twist: 1. What is it? (Order; 5 points) 2. Is it an insect? (1 point) Why, or why not? (4 points) Points will be awarded to the first person to give the correct identifications, and to everyone whose justifications for 2) seem well-reasoned. [...]
What was that mystery doubleheader? Several of you correctly surmised that I had shown the inside of an ant plant. But which one, in which region, and the particulars of the objects caused some trouble, so the answers came out piecemeal across several of your entries. Points are awarded as follows: Brian Spitzer gets 4 [...]
Here are two unusual things that, not coincidentally, I found together in this position: Your challenge is to answer the following: In what biogeographic realm was this photograph taken? (2 points) In what microhabitat? (4 points) What is the adorable fluffy thing on the left? (2 points) What are the smooth objects on the right? (2 points) [...]
Who was our mystery blue bee? Five points to Alex Surcica for getting the genus, five points to Matt Bertone for picking the family (Apidae), and one point bonus point each to Alex Surcica, Étienne Normandin, and Rachel Graham for bravely attempting a species ID even though, as Doug Yanega noted on facebook, Given the difficulty of [...]
Sorry for the late posting. Tonight’s challenge is a straight-up identification. Who is this? I will award 5 points for family, 5 points for genus, and bonus points for species. The cumulative points winner across all mysteries for the month of May will win their choice of 1) any 8×10-sized print from my insect photography galleries, [...]
This week’s cicada challenge, asking you to order a list of places based on periodical cicada emerge years, was more time-intensive than most. I am happy a number of you put in the footwork to research an answer. I assembled the question using the Cicada Central database and the magicida.org collection of emergence maps, and these would have [...]
Along the east coast the famous Brood II cicadas are emerging after 17 years feeding from tree roots. Periodical cicadas are a uniquely North American phenomenon and among our greatest natural spectacles, with massive numbers of large, charismatic insects emerging in different places each year. Where will they emerge this year? And next year? Your [...]
Yesterday’s challenge required a fair amount of knowledge about the peculiarities of wasp development and morphology. Thus, I’m pleased the answers surfaced so quickly! Here is a color photograph of the same species, a braconid wasp from Costa Rica: Counting abdominal segments was tricky for two reasons. For one, most Hymenoptera have the first true [...]
A personal blog by Illinois-based biologist and photographer Alex Wild.
Myrmecos- derived from the ancient greek word for "ant"- hosts Alex's musings about these and other little creatures that share our planet.
Questions? Email alwild [at] myrmecos.net; or follow @Myrmecos on Twitter.
